How do you spend your Christmas Eve?

[huffpuff]

Assuming you're not working.....

we spend the morning in our pj's just generally pottering about the house. After lunch of cold meats and pickle etc we head out for walk on local beach and then to garden centre for hot chocolate and cake.

Then off home for baths and back in pj's (new ones especially for xmas eve!!) and watch a christmassy film. Then story and children off to bed while me and dh open wine and pig out!!!

What do you do~?

The morning is always a bit slow tbh, but maybe a pop in to the Disney Store (or we did last year). Lunch of anything, then we always go to the theatre in the afternoon for the "on ice" production. Then home for a feast tea, Rudolph and the Island of Misfit Toys video, then one last musing over the list, bath, pj's, bed and then let the mayhem of xmas day begin! I might be going to Carols at Kings this year [grin[ yay!!!

This year we'll be on a plane! Not sure how I'm going to work it tbh. We normally put out the food for santa, the reindeer food, do the advent calendar and watch something Christmassy, like the Polar Express [note to self, pack this for flight]. Then bath and new PJs and bed.

A bit of last minute shopping (I actually quite like an early morning trip to the supermarket to witness the festive panic ) and a walk in the park or on the Heath to tire out my little boy. Last year he collected some Xmas bits from the park - holly, twigs, pince cones etc - and we made a little table decoration when we got home, which was nice (very twee and homemaker-ish ..not like me at all ).

Then I usually do a bit of tidying up and nesting, make some mulled wine, heat up some of my sister's lovely homemade mince pies, listen to Carols from Kings and make a nice dinner (usually fish). My mum comes up for a bit, and sometimes some friends or neighbours will pop in for a drink.

This year DS will be old enough to really enjoy putting out the bits and pieces for Father Christmas and hanging up his stocking. We do the whole 'Xmas PJs' thing, too, and read him 'Twas the Night before Christmas'.

Once DS is in bed, we get the port / sherry out and wrap presents,watch a bit of TV & play cards (my dad's little Xmas Eve tradition). When my sister and dad (who always come to ours) go to bed, I usually have a bath and me and DH stay up late to watch crappy TV and drink more port.

I also love Xmas Eve. It's the most Christmassy day for me.

'pince' cones? I meant pine cones.

Or perhaps I met I was a ponce?

We will wrap the kids presents once they are in bed, then snuggle up and watch Its a Wonderful Life.

Christmas Eve is my first son's birthday and even although he is an adult now, we celebrate with some decent food, the little ones run around in an over excitable way and I usually have a silent weep (at where the years have gone) and at the thought of preparing for the next day.
Last year I gave him a book that has been 25 years in the making - from his first hour up to all the stuff he does present day. We both ended up sobbing our hearts out and were incapable of coherent speech.

waiting for santa

Well- this year, I shall be meeting with my consultant to discuss my birth options!! (will be 36 weeks) Not what I usually do....

we're taking the kids and grandparents to pennywell farm in devon and then home. hopefully kids will be tired and in bed early after leaving treats out for santa and reindeers. we are then hoping that grandparents will babysit( they have a fear of babysitting and only babdysit around 3 times a year) while my husband and i go next door for a few beers

Normally we do last minute grocery shopping and then relax at home watching Xmas films.

This year I'm really excited as we will be waking up in Disneyland Paris! We are flying back at 5pm, so will hopefully be home to do the normal ritual of hanging up the stocking, leaving snacks for Santa.

DS2 has no idea that we are going, it's all a big surprise!

DS's birthday so the celebration begins then!

Blimey. Everyone has a 'new PJs' tradition! I feel left out.

When we were children, our Christmas Eve was a mildly hysterical rush:

• my mother would be frantically cleaning round my paternal grandparents, who'd arrived from Portugal perhaps 3 weeks earlier.
• we'd go and do the supermarket shops (Safeway for the basics, Waitrose for treats, and she'd usually chance it and get a turkey massively reduced late in the day, and we'd pee ourselves in case there wasn't one, and we'd have to have fishfingers instead).
• she'd start passively-aggressively prep-ing Christmas dinner in the afternoon.
• I'd be press-ganged into being driven about the neighbourhood by mum, distributing local cards she'd left too late to post.
• we'd watch whatever santa movie was on and get a bit over-excited; and eventually go to bed, where I tried to carve out my own, rather OCD traditions. I'd have to be wearing a long white nightdress and there had to be sheets and blankets on the bed, because it was more 'Victorian'... Dunno where I got that from. I do know that once we were in bed, all hell broke out and she was up into the small hours, wrapping presents and doing strange things to the turkey, which was soaking in a basin of water with a ton of lemons. Why, why, why? I know she loathed and dreaded christmas because of all this.

I used to swear that I'd never let it all get so involved and complicated. These days, as long as I get to listen to the Kings carols live and then switch over to the tv to see them with pictures, and I have a drink in my hand, I'm happy.

Would hope to avoid going to any shops as hate the last minute rush. Since I gave up work, I try hard to be organised and have everything done by then (quite frankly, compared to all those who have to work and shop too, I've got it easy).

Crib service mid afternoon. Where I always bump into ex-boyfriends(not that many!) and loads of people I spent many drinken years with at Mid-night Mass and who now have dcs too

Then back to sister's or my parent's (where we always stay), and wait for a visit from Father Christmas. He walks up from the bottom of the garden with a flashing light (parks the sleigh right at the bottom of the garden, so really difficult to see it) waves to everyone. Hangs around a bit, waving and nodding to all the shouts of what everyone wants for christmas. Then disappears- as he's very busy.

Biscuit and drink (children's choice, so could be anything) left for Father Christmas and carrot for Rudolf

Children rush to bed, terrified!

Wine openned...RELAX!

(Actually, usually end up in kitchen with a bottle, doing veg for next day too)